Caring Like a Centerfielder

During baseball’s off-season, Yankee fans spent a lot of time discussing the losses of two key outfielders. In a couple of months, however, these same fans will be spending far more time talking up the newest pinstriped outfielder.

Johnny Damon is in Detroit now, and Hideki Matsui is in Anaheim. But Curtis Granderson now mans one of the most revered positions in sports – centerfield for the New York Yankees. Hall of Famers Earl Combs, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle have played there, as have perennial All-Stars Bobby Murcer, Bernie Williams, Rickey Henderson and Damon. Now Granderson, an All-Star in his own right, gets a turn at the expansive green grass of Yankee Stadium.

Granderson will hit, he’ll run, and he’ll make great plays in the outfield. But that’s just part of the reason why New Yorkers will be wearing his No. 14 all over the city in the months ahead. They’ll like those homers he plants in the short porch in right field, but they’ll also notice how agreeable he is to interviews, and how personable he seems. Even more important, though, they’ll notice how much work Granderson does for individuals in need.

Giving back is something many of us have done, athletes included. But in the difficult economic climate of 2010, it’s tempting to think more of ourselves than of others, particularly when our own finances are not what they have been, or when our family and job responsibilities seem overwhelming.

And yet, great societies always survive and thrive due in part to the compassion we show toward one another. Winston Churchill once told us, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Using Sir Winston’s equation, Curtis Granderson has made quite a life for himself. His Grand Kids Foundation has worked to improve education and youth baseball opportunities for inner-city kids. He has served as an “ambassador” for Major League Baseball, traveling to Europe, China and South Africa to promote the game. Last month, he stood alongside Michelle Obama as MLB’s representative in support of The White House’s anti-obesity program. The University of Illinois graduate has even written a children’s book encouraging kids to chase their dreams. It’s no wonder that in 2009, MLB players voted Granderson winner of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, given to the player whose on- and off-field performances most inspire others to reach higher.

This is quite a man we’ve got here in New York, and I for one can’t wait to learn from his compassion. I was thinking of Granderson yesterday as I stood on Springfield Avenue in Newark with a group of high school students. It was 75 degrees and sunny – by far the nicest day of the year so far – and these teen-agers had chosen to spend four hours handing out lunches and clothes to homeless and other low-income men, women and children at two locations in Newark. They were talking with the individuals we met, and listening closely as one man offered them advice on life across the street from Newark Penn Station.

My students all hail from a suburban town where poverty exists, but is often hidden by the abundance of wealth teeming from the renovated houses and ritzy storefronts throughout town. The kids could have been shopping in those stores yesterday morning, our lounging at home with their iPods or PlayStations. But instead they were giving, and giving earnestly. When we finished, the smiles on their faces told you the story. Giving felt good, as it always does, and these kids would gladly do more. Some, in fact, were back at work today – this time painting a mural in their town’s community center. It’s no wonder this club keeps growing in new and exciting ways; more kids keep experiencing the fulfillment that comes from reaching out, like a centerfielder chasing a long drive, and extending their reach into areas of need.

There’s one other thing you should know about Curtis Granderson – he’s got a fabulous smile. It’s a genuine, ear-to-ear grin. I think I understand where he gets it from; I saw that grin yesterday in Newark.

You Say It's Your Birthday

As I turned 38 this past weekend, I was asked the usual question: “How does it feel?” My answer is always simple, that you’re as young as you feel. I’m grateful to be in good physical shape, and hope to keep that up in the year ahead. I like this number, 38 – it’s a reminder that I’m still plenty young, yet also old enough to have some of what we like to call experience. If I were a lawyer, I’d probably have just made partner. If I were a baseball player, I’d probably have just retired.

I think that birthdays are also a good time for thinking about our own development as individuals, and whether we’re moving in the right direction, toward the people we want to be. I am very proud of the fact that I’ve made service toward others a priority in my life so far. I’m proud of myself for being there for family, friends and students, and also for succeeding in two different careers. I think my heart is in the right place, and that is probably the most important thing I need in life.

But I do see room for improvement. I see a need for greater confidence, as I wonder sometimes whether I’m selling myself short with what I can accomplish in my career and in life itself. I also see a need for less stress, as I tend to let the smaller things eat me up inside and lose the ability to roll with the punches. I know that worrying has never actually made my life better, yet I still struggle with the temptation to fret over far too much.

I look forward to working on these pieces during the months ahead, and to build upon my own experiences and emotions to lead a life of fulfillment, hope and happiness. As I do so, I can find many notable role models among those who were born on the same day as me. January 17th is a crowded day among the notable birthdays. We have Ben Franklin and Anton Chekhov. We have Muhammad Ali and James Earl Jones. We have Michelle Obama.

The famous birthday web sites don’t list my name. Kid Rock has got January 17th, 1971 locked up. My alter ego. As I think about why Kid Rock is a famous man and I’m not, and as I scan through the New York Times Magazine photo spread of Obama staff appointees and see so many who are younger than me, I am tempted to feel deflated.

But that’s missing the point. I don’t need fame to be successful. I just need to know deep inside that I have done what I should, what I can, for the purposes I find most important – my God, my family, my fellow man, myself.

This weekend, as we await this new moment of hope in America, I look within and see a man who is a making his way quite nicely through life, but who can – and will – do even more. Sounds like a pretty good 38 to me.